lummi island wine tasting june 1 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
Fig Anise – One of the more popular breads in the rotation. Made with a sponge that is fermented overnight, then the final dough is mixed with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Honey, dried figs and anise bring in all the flavors of the mediterranean. – $5/loaf
Ciabatta with Whole Wheat – Using an italian biga pre-ferment as well as a poolish for lots of fermentation activity, adding a lot of flavor to the final bread; bread flour and whole wheat with a little olive oil for more flavor; a great rustic bread – $5/loaf
For pastry this week…
Individual Cinnamon Rolls! – made with a rich sweet roll dough that is full of eggs, butter and sugar. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Then rolled up and sliced into individual rolls for baking and then a drizzle of frosting just to make them more decadent. – 2/$5
Trailer Update
As of this writing, we are ensconced in our new trailer at Champoeg State Park in Oregon Wine Country. There were some glitches picking it up in Portland on Tuesday (like they somehow thought we weren’t coming till Thursday). Fortunately cool heads prevailed and we are on the road for a fe we days of shakedown. Lots of new systems to learn about. So far so good, a few glitches but enjoying the new amenities of a little more space, being able to stand up without hitting the ceiling, a bit more comfort all around.
However, Internet reception is somewhat vestigial here, so this will be a very short post tonight.
This weekend
All you really need to know is that Friday will be usual Bread Friday with Janice and David hosting, and the wine shop will be closed on Saturday this week.
We regret any inconvenience and look forward to,seeing you all next weekend!
This week’s wine tasting
Abadia de San Campo Albarino 2017, Spain $14
A rich, soft, white wine with balanced acidity and a long mouthfeel. From NW Spain, this is perfect match with grilled fish, roast chicken, or spicy fare.
Bodegas Rezabal Txakoli Rose 2017 Spain $14
A fresh, slightly spritzy rose from the Basque region of Spain, this is the tastiest, and possibly most different style rose you will ever taste. A perfect porch bbq wine that matches with a ton of different foods.
Domaine de L’Olivette Rouge 2016 France $13
From the western Languedoc, this Merlot dominant wine is grown organically in a vineyard surrounded by a forest. It is rich but not cloying and makes a great match with all sorts of grilled meats or simply on its own.
Bodegas Ayuso Estola Reserva ’15 Spain $10
Tempranillo/ cab sauv blend; Warm aromas of spices and ripe fruit; wide and round palate, easy drinking, great buy!
Montes Classic Merlot ’15 Chile $13
Bright and complex, with blackcurrant and black cherry flavours and a rich, juicy finish. Aged in oak for six months before release.
lummi island wine tasting may 25 – 27 ’18 artists’ studio tour
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
Fig Anise – One of the more popular breads in the rotation. Made with a sponge that is fermented overnight, then the final dough is mixed with bread flour and fresh milled whole wheat. Honey, dried figs and anise bring in all the flavors of the mediterranean. – $5/loaf
Ciabatta with Whole Wheat – Using an italian biga pre-ferment as well as a poolish for lots of fermentation activity, adding a lot of flavor to the final bread; bread flour and whole wheat with a little olive oil for more flavor; a great rustic bread – $5/loaf
For pastry this week…
Individual Cinnamon Rolls! – made with a rich sweet roll dough that is full of eggs, butter and sugar. The dough is rolled out, spread with pastry cream and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Then rolled up and sliced into individual rolls for baking and then a drizzle of frosting just to make them more decadent. – 2/$5.
Studio Tour Schedule
We are again showing works by Meredith Moench at the Wine Gallery this weekend for Studio Tour. Meredith will also be showing selected works at her own studio and at the Beach Store Cafe through the tour, so if you are on the island this weekend, you will see a lot of her fine work!
Special Tasting Saturday!
On Saturday our friend Tristan, co-owner of Vinea Imports in Seattle, will be in the shop to pour six of his wines for our tasting. You can expect to taste, enjoy, and learn about some really interesting wines (mainly Spanish) that he has picked for this occasion. This is the fourth or fifth time in as many years that Tristan has done this with us, and we are confident you will enjoy the wines and the atmosphere.
Come join the fun!
Scheduled Saturday wines:
Rezabal Txakoli Rose
Jane Ventura Vinyes Blanc
Abadia del San Campio Albarino
Domaine de L’Olivette Rouge
David Hill Estate Pinot Noir
Bodegas Carlos Moro Oinoz Rioja Crianza
Trailer Update
Got a call Tuesday that our trailer had Finally Arrived in Portland. So far we are assuming it is the right one this time, you know, our typical Pollyanna attitude. You will recall that on our pickup trip there three weeks ago we found the Wrong Trailer had been shipped, while our order was on a back lot somewhere in Indiana (as any rational person would see it, just one more thing to blame Mike Pence for!). Then last week we were back on Oregon for the weekend, and thought Maybe it would be there by then…but sadly no.
We are presently booked for Orientation and Pickup on Tuesday the 29th. If all goes well this time (fingers crossed!), we will spend a few days on Shakedown, taking an opportunity to visit some Oregon wineries and taste some pinot noir for your future tasting pleasure.
It looks like a Sure Thing this time, folks. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
Mar a Lago Update: Kim Jong Un vs. The New Mercantilism
Through most of my adult life Republicans have been extolling the Virtues of running Government like a Business, whatever that means. Sometimes people thought it meant cutting “unnecessary” costs, while others supposed it meant doing away with foolish and costly regulations, you know, designed to protect air and water quality, or worker safety, or consumer rights, and still others imagined it must be about making sure women and people of color couldn’t steal po’ white folks God-given American Jobs…you know, a “point of View” kinda Thing.
For all kinds of reasons running a government like a business is a Really Stupid Idea. For one thing, private business needs to make enough Profit to cover costs and still have something left over to pay the entrepreneur a decent return, while the public sector is responsible for providing all kinds of goods and services which, because of their nature will never turn a profit but nevertheless must be produced to maintain order, public health, and viable Infrastucture. The private sector will never willingly invest in protecting consumer rights or public safety or environmental quality or public education, parks, health care…the list goes on and on and on.
What we have seen instead since 1980 is a relentless mining of the Public Sector by Republican-sponsored Corporate Carpet-Baggers (come on now, say it with Feelin’…”Cahpit-Baggahs…!) who, sometime in the Reagan Dystopian Nightmare Years realized that OMD there WAS a profit to be made in the Public Sector. All they had to do was to find the Profit Centers and under the Auspices of “Market Efficiency” contract them out to their Ilk, their Kith, and their Kin. It was only Natural that this realization would lead to the Privatization of the Military by replacing draftees with Civilian Contractors like Bechtel who were more than willing to take over KP and other distracting, non-combatant functions historically carried out by GI’s. Then, with a combination of low wages, low-quality service, price-gouging, and good ‘ol boy politics, they learned how to turn a Sweet Profit as the new Contract War Machine ground On and On and On: a Bottomless Fookin’ Gold Mine that has kept us Constantly At War since 2001.
Fast forward to Now to find a New Crop of Republicans completely Unfettered by National Loyalty who have turned Election Management into Just Another Profit Center, the Biggest One Yet, with the White House the Central Prize. Kim Jong Un, Democrats, kittens, puppies, women, intellectuals, people of Color, workers of all collar colors, the Environment, the Future…it’s all just S*#t on their Soles to be wiped off on the Next Curb.
So much for Duty. So much for Responsibility. So much for Defending the Constitution. But don’t worry…it’s not just Business…it’s Free F#*king Enterprise Making Our Lives Better Every Day in Every Way…
This week’s wine tasting
Berger Gruner Veltliner ’16 Austria
Mouthwatering notes of cucumber, apple, green herbs and cress with varietally typical green bean on its silken-textured and buoyant palate, invigorating, vibrant, consummately refreshing finish.
Campuget Tradition Rose ’17 France $11
Pale brilliant pink. Nervy, mineral-tinged aromas of orange zest and strawberry; Silky and light on its feet, offering zesty, light-bodied red berry and blood orange flavors and a bracing touch of bitter quinine.
Sanguineti Cannonau de Sardegna ’15 Italy $12
Sardinian cannonau–known elsewhere as grenache– offers dry and dusty aromas and flavors of cherry, pomegranate and plum with lingering, crisp, earthy and briny flavors that beg for food.
Chat. Cabriac Carignan Old Vines ’16 France $12
Ruby color with purplish reflections; scents of ripe red fruits, currants and blackcurrant with some spicy notes; in the mouth elegant, round, and well structured with soft tannins and good persistence.
Lonardi Valpolicello Ripasso Classico Superiore ’14 Italy $19
Valpolicella becomes Ripasso when pressed through the raisined skins used for Amarone, adding complex aromatics and flavors to the wine, in this case lush cranberry notes with chocolate.
lummi island wine tasting may 18 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread Friday this week
Barley, Whole Wheat, & Rye Levain – a levain bread where the sourdough culture is built over several days and allowed to ferment before the final dough is mixed. Then mixed with bread flour and freshly milled whole wheat, barley and rye flours. A hearty whole grain bread that is a great all around bread – $5/loaf
Buttermilk Currant – A really flavorful loaf made with bread flour and almost half fresh milled whole wheat. A little honey for sweetness balances the flavors of the whole grain, buttermilk makes for a soft and tender crumb. Then lots of currants and just a little rosemary round out the flavors. This bread makes great toast and even better french toast- $5/loaf
And pastry this week…
Baker’s Choice Surprise! Sometimes inspiration for pastry comes later in the week than the email. All you need to know is it will be delicious, cost $5, and, as always, quantities are limited! C’mon, step up and take a chance!!
Open Friday, Closed Saturday this weekend!
We will reopen for the Memorial Day Artists’ Studio Tour Friday 5/25 from 4-6, and Saturday and Sunday 5/26-27 from 1-6pm, continuing our ongoing show of works by Meredith Moench. More on that next week!
The Current Wine Plan for Studio Tour is for our friend Tristan to come up and pour wines from his Spanish Portfolio on Friday and Saturday. Mark your calendars!
Trailer Update
Plan A was to pick up our new trailer in Portland on May 1. But as we wrote that week, it was the Wrong Trailer, Gromit! “Our” trailer had gotten stranded Somewhere in Indiana when the factory lost track of where it was supposed to go. Instead they sent a trailer with the same exterior but a different interior.
Then we were assured that Everything Possible was being done to get it shipped ASAP, almost certainly within a week, May 7 or 8 at the latest. As that date came and went, it became clear that yes the trailer had “gone to the shipper,” and would soon be On the Road to Oregon, and For Sure it would be leaving Indiana by Monday, May 14. Figure three or four days on the road and it could arrive in Portland by Thursday, May 17, opening a theoretical doorway for pickup sometime during our current Birthday Trip.
So, as one does, we maintained Hope. At this writing we are in a motel in Woodland, WA, on our way to Corvallis. Today we get the latest update on the Trailer Shipping News; the current projected delivery date is next Friday, May 25. Which is (see above) Studio Tour Weekend. Curiously, repeated Disappointment doesn’t so much leave a Bitter Taste as a Corked taste, Flavorless and somewhat Musty, and you are Ready to Dump it Down the Drain, but you have built up So Much Expectation you can’t quite bring yourself to do it, and you sit with your disappointment and frustration with, you know, a kind of Puzzled Irony.
Mar a Lago Update: Rooms Full of Elephants
Day to Day coping with the Tweetster in Charge of The World is an Ongoing Challenge. Everybody Can Feel it is All Wrong, that a Terrible Mistake has been made. It is not unlike the beginning Gambit of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, when a Vogon Demolition Ship is sent to destroy the Earth to make room for a new Hyperspace Bypass. Nothing personal, Just Business, sorry for Any Inconvenience, Really, If you hadn’t been here, we wouldn’t have to Remove You, Our Hands Are Tied.
The News this week has repeatedly reminded us that it is the Anniversary of the appointment of Robert Mueller to Investigate Possible Wrongdoing/Collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russian Intelligence Operatives during the 2016 Election Campaign. Republican Loyalists, having Accepted Him as their Personal Savior, have Closed Ranks around the Tweetster in a Phalanx of Shields and Spears to protect him from each Daily Onslaught of Fake News. And the Rhetoric continues to Amp Up that there should be a Time Limit for Mueller to Prove that there is a There There.
This all reminds us of the Eight Long Years of the Whitewater Investigation of the Clintons, not to mention the Fox News 25-year Obsession with Hillary Clinton, you know, in case she ever ran for President, and oh by the way, fast forward to today’s world where there is Nothing the Tweetster can do to arouse moral outrage among his Disciples.
So it is worth taking a moment from the daily cries of Fake News and looking around the room Slowly Enough to Start Focusing on the Increasing Number and Size of Elephants in the Room that Everyone is Studiously Ignoring, especially the One in the Middle that No One can either Ignore or Acknowledge: that Yes, Indeed, the election of 2016 was manipulated and Stolen through a concerted campaign involving Russian hacking, Facebook manipulation, Cambridge Analytica, and the Tweetster Campaign. But of course no one can actually Say That.
This week’s wine tasting
Maryhill Viognier ’15 Washington $14
Vibrant aromas of orange zest, honeysuckle, and pink grapefruit; flavors of lemon, pear, and white peach. The mouthfeel is delicate, yet full-bodied, withnotes of fresh flowers.
JM Cinsault Rose ’17 Washington $23
Bigger, more textured, and more aromatic than one expects from a rosé; in the dark could be mistaken for a full-bodied white blend…delicious!
Antonio Sanguineti Nessun Dorma Toscana ’15 Italy $15
Super-Tuscan blend of sangiovese, cab, and merlot, with notes of black currant and cherry, and spicy chocolate. Rich and spicy on the palate, the red fruit comes on strong in the middle, with chocolate rounding out the finish.
Chat. Cabriac Carignan Old Vines ’16 France $12
Ruby color with purplish reflections; scents of ripe red fruits, currants and blackcurrant with some spicy notes; in the mouth elegant, round, and well structured with soft tannins and good persistence.
Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz ’16 Australia $19
Rich, opulent fruit with a wonderful freshness and balance. An incredible deep, central core of dark fruit gives way to an intense textural mid palate full of cassis, plum, spice and dark chocolate.
lummi island wine tasting may 11 ’18
(note: some photos will enlarge when clicked)
Bread this week
Seeded Multi Grain Levain – Made with a sourdough culture and a flavorful mix of bread flour, fresh milled whole wheat, and rye with flax, sesame, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds, some polenta for great flavor and crunch, and a bit of honey for some sweetness. – $5/loaf
Buckwheat Walnut & Honey – A flavorful artisan bread made with a poolish, fresh milled buckwheat and bread flour. Buckwheat is not a grain, it is actually a seed and closer in the plant family to rhubarb and sorrel than to wheat, but contains no gluten, and has an earthy flavor, a little sweetness from honey,and toasted walnuts add a nice texture. – $5/loaf
For pastry this week…
Rum Raisin Brioche: A delicious brioche dough full of eggs, butter and sugar. Filled with golden raisins, soaked in rum, and chunks of almond paste, then topped with a chocolate glaze before baking. Ooh la la, what’s not to like?! y. – 2/$5.
Syncline
Syncline Wine Cellars is located along the Columbia River a bit west of Maryhill in the Columbia River Gorge. The winery is located a mile or so north of the river on a south sloping upland at the eastern edge of the new Columbia Gorge AVA, just east of a series of 300-foot cliffs rising up from the Columbia River. Locally known as the “Coyote Wall Syncline” and to geologists as the “Bingen Syncline,” this dramatic feature gives the winery its name.
The owners, Poppy and James Mantone, made their first wine in 1999, and since then have set a high standard for Rhone varietals in Washington State. Their wines consistently bring out the best qualities of Washington-grown Rhone red varietals Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Counoise, and Carignan, and white varietals grenache blanc, and picpoul.
Their recently released 2016 mourvedre is a great example of of the Syncline style at its best, with mouth-filling, soft texture and bright, rich, lingering fruit flavors. Supposedly either Thomas Jefferson of Benjamin Franklin is said to have quipped that wine it the best evidence we have that God loves us and wants us to Be Happy, and whoever it was had probably sipped a wine very much like this one. I taste it, I lean back, I roll my eyes, I smile, I feel Grateful. Yum!
Down the Rabbit Hole in Search of Relief
It started a few months ago, waking up in the morning with aching muscles in upper legs. Over some weeks it expanded to include shoulders and upper arms. Worst in early morning, easier after light exercise and stretching, but got worse over time. So after a month I thought, hmm, this must be the Statin Thing people talk about , the muscle aches, the cramping… so I cut my dose in half. But since that didn’t help much, I eventually stopped taking statins altogether and informed my Doc, who did an exam and some blood tests which said “statins are not the problem.” Huh? Really?
Simultaneously I saw an acupuncturist and a naturopath who both Believed that yes, these are Classic Statin Symptoms, which Are Indeed the Problem, so you need to rebuild your System with supplements. Meanwhile our daughter-in-law, also an MD sent a link about something called polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), a strange condition that primarily hits people around age 72, of Northern European roots, causing soreness and cramping in the muscles of the shoulders, arms, thighs, and hips, and is worst in the early morning, Oh, yeah, I thought, that sounds Very Familiar, so I told my Doc, who referred me to a rheumatologist, but who couldn’t see me for about six weeks!
By this time getting up in the morning had become agony; putting weight on wrists, elbows, shoulders, or knees was cripplingly painful. I read that the standard treatment involved a corticosteroid called prednisone. It turns out that my Dear Dog Tator has been taking a small maintenance dose of prednisone since her own auto-immune issues last summer. So of course I took a small dose of her med…and WOW, relief was rapid (a few hours) and a relief!
Then followed several days over which I dropped by the rheumatologist’s office for an impromptu chat, (Yes I have an appointment but not for several weeks, do you mind if I wait…? informed my own doc that I needed him to expedite my appointment with the rheumatologist, which precipitated a conversation between my doc and the rheumatologist, which led my doc to begin the standard course of prednisone with me. So here as I write the weekly blog, I am out of pain for the first time in many weeks, feeling a little euphoric and hopeful and vastly Relieved. It’s been a tough few months, and a Comfort to see Relief in Sight!
Mar a Lago Update: Insanity Fatique
The recurring metaphor for our Country and our World since the 2016 so-called “Election” is the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, in which all of the Players have been Imprisoned in an Ongoing Hell of Nonsensical Events. Alice, of course, gets to leave the Tea Party after a time, though sadly it does take longer to get back to what Alice would recognize as “Reality.”
To some degree our Entire World seems dragged along into our National Nightmare, the entirely of which could only have been developed and written by a writer as creative and disturbed as 50’s comic strip author Chester Gould, creator of Dick Tracy.
For you many who are too young to remember, like Alice in Wonderland, the Dick Tracy comic strip was populated by Ultimate Weirdos with names like Flattop, BO Plenty, Flyface, Sparkle Plenty, Oodles, Diet Smith…the list went On and On and On. And no, it never made much sense, but yes as kids we did read it every weekend. Like the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party we all thought it would eventually make sense, beginning, you know, with the weird, sharp Jaw of the Dick Tracy character and ending with the inevitable close-up in most weekend strips with the little arrow linking an object in the drawing with a little sign that said “two-way wrist radio,’ eventually replaced with the “two-way wrist TV.”
Every day lately the Tweetster has been linked with Yet Another Character who would have been Right at Home in the World of Dick Tracy.
As Charlie Brown often said, with his forehead leaning against a tree, ” I can’t stand it!”
This week’s wine tasting
Kerloo Grenache Blanc ’17 Washington $17
An enticing nose that showcases bright citrus, light honey, and a hint of dry straw; bright acidity along with a supple of mouth feel. Bursts of star fruit, lemon peel, minerals, and salinity will definitely hit the spot! You’ll want this beauty with anything saying “seafood!”
Vina Equia Rioja ’14 Spain $10
Vivid cherry red color with hints of vanilla, coconut, and licorice; it is well-balanced with mature red fruit flavors on the palate and full-bodied with an elegant finish.
l’Ecuyer de Couronneau Bordeaux Rouge ’15 France $16
Merlot-dominated it has been made with ‘easy-drinking’ very much in mind, offering a bit of New World ripeness; full bodied with good depth; palate of berries, red fruit, and hints of tobacco in a long finish.
Zenato ‘Alanera’ Rosso Veronese Italy $15
Dark, inky color; rich and focused nose, with ripe berries, dusty oak and a precise note of waxy vanilla bean. On the palate delivers extracted flavors of cherries, strawberry, clay and even a hint of crushed mint. Soft tannins, rounded finish.
Syncline Mourvedre ’16 Washington $32
Unites Red Mountain’s intensity, brilliant acidity, and tannin structure with Horse Heaven’s lush fruit flavors and texture for a wine that offers juicy plum, blackberry, cassis and savory flavors with hints of wet stone. A rich, layered mouthfeel and bright finish complement the intense aromas.
2072 Granger Way